Citing Your Sources
Citations are used to identify and locate publications (book, journal article, video, etc.). They usually include title, author, publisher and date of publication. SMU instructors often require students to cite their sources using one of three styles. To make the process easier, SMU provides its students with the use of RefWorks, an online research management tool that generates citations and bibliographies in a range of styles.
Citation StylesDistinct citation styles have been developed by professional and scholarly associations including the APA (American Psychological Association), the AMA (American Medical Association), and the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors).
An instructor will commonly ask you to adhere to a specific style when citing sources in a research paper or essay. This can be challenging, as each style contains its own formatting rules for citations, both in the body of the paper (in-text citations) and on the reference page. Your best defense is a good offense—be familiar with the styles most SMU instructors require: APA, AMA, and the ICMJE's URM.
Here are some useful resources on citations:
APA citation style- APA 6th Edition Citation Examples (University of Maryland)
- APA 6th Edition Citation Examples (Long Island University)
- APA Formatting & Style Guide (Purdue University)
- APA 6th Edition: Basics
- APA 6th Edition: What’s New
- APA 6th Edition: DOI and URL Flowchart
- APA 6th Edition: Corrections to the First Printing (July 2009)
- APA 6th Edition: Four Corrected Sample Papers
- APA blog: Ask questions of the APA experts and read their answers
- NoodleBib Express
- BibMe
- Cite Sources Using Word 2007 (Florida Gulf Coast University)
- DOI Locator/Lookup
- Quick Reference Citation Format (Samford University)
- AMA Style Guide (University of Washington)
- Using the AMA Format (Texas A&M University)
- AMA Citation Style Quick Guide (University of the Sciences in Philadelphia)
- What’s New (AMA Manual of Style, 10th ed., 2007)
- Frequently Asked Questions (AMA Manual of Style, 10th ed., 2007)
- Table of Contents (AMA Manual of Style, 10th ed., 2007)
- Using the AMA Style (University of New England)
- Full-text of the Uniform Requirements (ICMJE)
- National Library of Medicine’s ICMJE Uniform Requirements: Sample References
RefWorks is an online research management, writing, and collaboration tool designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store, and share all types of information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies in APA, AMA, or Uniform style. SMU students, staff members, and faculty members may sign up for a free RefWorks account. RefWorks is supported by all SMU libraries.
Here are some useful resources on using RefWorks:
- RefWorks Quick Start Guide
- RefWorks Tutorial
- RefWorks Fundamentals Workbook
- RefWorks Advanced Features Workbook
- RefWorks: The Basics (Tufts University)
